The young mutants of X-Men: First Class explain why the movie focuses on more obscure characters. Martin Sheen is amazed with the new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield. Plus a new Prometheus love interest, a massive Doctor Who roundup, and much more!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from Sucker Punch.

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X-Men: First Class

An inside source says that stunt coordinator Chris Struthers, who is best known for his work on The Dark Knight and Inception, is working on something that will supposedly be on par, or perhaps even bigger than what we've seen in Christopher Nolan's movies, which might tie into Matthew Vaughn's comments a while back that they had to reconfigure some action setpieces because they inadvertently ripped off Inception. Anyway, here's a description of what Struthers is supposedly up to:

"They used some of the most high tech equipment I have ever seen. Computerized flying rigs connected to five or six giant cranes that were able to smoothly glide an actor 60 feet in the air...up and down, side to side and even turn them. The fact that they are literally flying (obviously from a wire) takes away the cheesy green screen effect. These guys were able to fly around sections of the beach the size of a football field; any direction under full control... There is an intense action sequence taking place in the ocean where nine Black Ops team members in three small tactical boats approach and attempt to board the other ship carrying Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw and other members of the Hellfire Club. This all happens in the cover of night, and as the team tries to climb aboard the target ship at a high rate of speed they are one by one flipped violently out of the boats by Erik Lenssher."

As always, we advise taking reports from inside sources with a grain of salt, but it's not exactly hard to believe that this movie will feature some insane action sequences. [The Daily Blam via Comic Book Resources]

Havok portrayer Lucas Till confirms that the relationship between his character Alex Summers and Cyclops - who are brothers in the comics - will be left ambiguous. He also explains why more obscure characters like Havok have a place in this new movie:

You know, I can watch 'X-Men' all the time. I can watch those movies over and over again, I can watch the animated series, but I want to see a new film, completely new characters. You've got Beast and Mystique and they're just solid. They have to be in the storyline. But you bring in Alex Summers, you bring in Angel Salvadore - which is a brand new character I've never even heard of - you know, Banshee, those are fan favorites so it's going to be neat."

Zoe Kravitz, who plays Angel Salvadore, also weighed in on her character:

"My character flies and I'll be wearing a harness and I'd be wearing wires all the time. Then I'd have to stand in strange ways, pretending there are not wires and pretending that I'm flying and floating, like it's the most normal thing in the world. Also, Matthew Vaughn cares about the drama, it's not like he's trying to make things explode all the time, so you want to look the other actors in the eye and connect and connect. But it's kind of hard when all this other crazy stuff is going on."

Captain America

Marvel has released the first official synopsis:

Captain America: The First Avenger" will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving.)

The Amazing Spider-Man

Martin Sheen, who plays the new Uncle Ben, raves about star Andrew Garfield:

He's very athletic, he's in great shape. He plays basketball and he works out every day. He's fit. Very wiry, thin, tall, very physically focused. ... He works in a very organic way - he loves accidents, when something happens in a scene that causes him to do something else. I went through a couple of very emotional scenes and he was right there, focused. ... And he was the same off camera. He didn't slack off. No, sir! He was equally emotional off camera. Very impressive. He's going to be a huge star.

The movie reportedly begins film in New York City around April 30. [Superhero Hype]

Green Lantern

Here's some various new images, including a bunch of Green Lantern action figures that reveal possible constructs we'll see in the movie, a rather impressive (and expensive) Power Battery prop replica, and a new movie promo image that likely depicts either the Green Lantern headquarters of Oa or the sentient planet and Corps member Mogo. [Wizard World Digital and Ubergizmo]

The Avengers

"Everybody I know who's read it says it's by far the best script for a Marvel movie ever. I'm very, very excited about it. Nobody loves superheroes more than Joss. He's really got his heart in the right place."

Prometheus

24 and Devil actor Logan Marshall-Green has reportedly been cast as Holloway, a crew member on the ship who is also a love interest for star Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw. [Deadline]

The Hunger Games

Although most of the rumors are currently swirling around Jennifer Lawrence for the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, the current scuttlebutt is that I Am Number Four's Alex Pettyfer and The Kids Are All Right costar Josh Hutcherson are the main contenders for her love interest Peeta. Both have confirmed some level of involvement in the casting process, although it's still anybody's guess which has the best shot, or who else is in contention for the part. [FirstShowing.net]

Pacific Rim

Here's an alleged plot description for Guillermo del Toro's next project, which admittedly sounds a lot less rousing now in light of recent events:

This project will give the Hellboy filmmaker the opportunity to create two worlds. The first is an alternate version of Earth in the near future, decades after a historic date in November 2012 when the first kaiju, a towering Godzilla-like beast, emerged from a hole in the Pacific Ocean and attacked the city of Osaka, Japan. The second is "The Anteverse," another universe on the other side of that gaping portal, 5 miles below our ocean's surface.

Since the first attack, the rim has been "spitting out" a variety of gigantic monsters at an increasing rate, which then stride out of the ocean and begin destroying sea-bordering cities, like Tokyo and Los Angeles. In order to combat these monstrous, otherworldly menaces, the military developed the "Jaeger" program, which trains teams of two pilots to jointly operate massive, building-sized mechanized suits of armor and high-tech weaponry.

The protagonist is reportedly Raleigh Antrobus, a 23-year-old Jaeger pilot who is haunted by the death of his copilot and brother who is reluctantly paired with 22-year-old Japanese pilot Mako Mori. There's also a subplot where journalist Felicity "Flick" Kincaid, the one-time fiance of Raleigh's brother, travels the world in search of answers about the mysterious rift.

None of this is confirmed, and there's every chance that key elements of the film will be changed in light of the recent tragedy in Japan - in particular, it's possible the monsters might no longer be attacking Japanese cities. Anyway, take this all with a grain of salt for now. [News In Film]

Super

Slither director James Gunn explains the appeal of superhero movies, and that Super was made on a low budget because that was the only way to maintain the creative control he wanted, and he isn't trying to make a film that will be a huge breakout success with general audiences:

Superhero movies are just an incredibly fun space to play in. People like me love reading comics because we get to see these guys fly around in space and blow shit up, and technology has finally reached a point where what exists on the page looks good on the big screen. From the beginning, I saw the script as an arthouse/grindhouse film," said Gunn. "To start to think that we're going to turn this into the next My Big Fat Greek Wedding is unrealistic. It's not an independent movie that gets big, it's actually an independent movie.

Sucker Punch

Choreographer Paul Becker, who designed the various dances that each of the main characters performs in the movie, explains how he got involved and what purposes these dances serve:

My brief for the film was very short because it was hush hush. Once I got in the room with Zack I learned that he is a genius. This movie had so many crazy concepts that everyone had a hard time grasping it. Once we fleshed out the ideas it became clear. I spent hours with Zack during the concept phase.

How do the dance routines fit into the film?
Each female lead in the film has persona and objective. We meshed the objective and persona of each character to the tone and concept of each dance. Because the film takes place in a brothel it calls for these huge production numbers.

7th Day

Shane Abbess, the Australian director behind the purgatory-set action movie Gabriel, is directing the movie 7th Day, which is a sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger cloning movie about "a voyage to establish a new colony in outer space." The movie is written by Source Code's Ben Ripley, and he came up with the original idea with Abbess. [Variety]

Underworld: New Dawn

The fourth Underworld movie has reportedly added Californication and Takers actor Michael Ealy as a detective who is first hunting Selene, then teams up with her to defeat the real enemy. [Deadline]

Agent OX

Fresh off the mild success of Battle: Los Angeles, the film's producer Neil Moritz has signed on for Agent OX, written by 12 Rounds's Daniel Kunka and concerning "a human spy living on an alien planet who must stop an invasion of Earth." [Variety]

Untitled McG Project

Ah, "Untitled McG Project." Is there any phrase more thrilling to the human soul? The Terminator Salvation and Charlie's Angels director is reportedly working on a new science fiction film for 20th Century Fox, working from a script from The Expendables writer David Callaham. McG is reportedly definitely in line to produce and might direct as well. [Deadline]

Doctor Who

BBC entertainment reporter Lizo Mzimba has revealed the titles for the opening two-parter: "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon." These might still be working titles, although Doctor Who Magazinehas announced they will reveal the first five episode titles in their next issue, so we should know either way soon enough. [@lizo_mzimba]

Time for another filming roundup for Gareth Roberts's episode twelve. James Corden's "The Lodger" costar Daisy Haggard has been spotted on the set, meaning Craig's best friend (and eventual lover) Sophie will be back. However, based on overheard dialogue from the opening scene between Craig and the Doctor, all is not well for the lovebirds:

*Doctor knocks, Craig opens door whilst saying*
Craig: I'm coping on my own!
*stunned at seeing the Doctor*
The Doctor: Hello Craig, I'm back!
Craig: She didn't!? How could she phone you!?
The Doctor: How could who phone me? Nobody phoned me, I'm just here. Oh, you've redecorated. I don't like it.
Craig: Its a different house, we moved!… Doctor, what are you doing here?
The Doctor: Social call! How are you?
Craig: I'm fine.
The Doctor: I'm fine too, love to Sophie, bye!

So, the Doctor is his regular oblivious self. Although, interesting enough, a later scene reportedly has him wondering whether there's actually a point to noticing unimportant things, because they might not be so unimportant after all, at which point he points his sonic screwdriver upwards and realizes a teleportation beam has been in operation.

Perhaps most excitingly for fans of this Doctor's offbeat sartorial choices, the Doctor will be taking his newfound cowboy look from the vistas of Utah to the streets of Penarth, as his apparent farewell scene with Craig Owens finds him walking back to the TARDIS in a Setson and long coat. [DoctorWhoSpoilers]

We still haven't seen much of how Rory or Amy might fit into all this, but some clues might come from recent filming at Cardiff, as a store's signs were changed to say "Sanderson and Grainger." This could well tie in with the teaser from The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011, which asked, "12 years on and Rory's still terrified of Granny Grainger?" One possibility is that rumored cast member Lynda Baron might well be playing this granny, while another theory (which seems a bit less likely) is that Amy gets unnaturally aged during the episode. Other recent filming in Cardiff has included the Millennium Centre, which according to one poster is serving as the location for a Cybership, and the episode will even feature a chase through the ship's tunnels. You should probably take all this with a bit more of a grain of salt than everything else, as these are all based on inside reports and speculation, rather than set photos and videos. [Doctor Who Spoilers]

On the casting front, Neve McIntosh's CV says she will be playing a Silurian warrior in episode seven, the mid-series cliffhanger episode. She previously played the Silurians Alaya and Restac in last year's "The Hungry Earth"/"Cold Blood" two-parter, and the obvious (but not necessarily correct) conclusion is we will see the return of the alliance first seen in "The Pandorica Opens", which included Silurians - and Sontarans and Cybermen, who have also been seen during the filming of the episode - among its ranks. This also ties in with recent rumors that a lone Silurian would appear in this episode. [Spotlight]

Meanwhile, Spencer Wilding, who played werewolves in both Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Wolfman, will be playing a character called "The Creature" in Toby Whithouse's "The God Complex", which also guest stars David Walliams as the alien Gibbis. [Spotlight]

Fringe

Here's a casting call for a new character in episode 22:

[EMILY] Caucasian. This 23 year old FBI agent is on her first day of the job. She's wide eyed and ready to face all of the challenges in front of her. Guest Star. Possibly recurring next season.

Here's a new poster that shows the team straddling the two universes. [SpoilerTV]

Fox's Fringe website has released another fake news article written from an Over There in-universe perspective. This time, it's about the advanced technology of that world's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency:

DARPA again requests help from all citizens. Any information regarding the misplaced experimental invisibility cloak should be directed to the Department of Defense citizen's hotline. The agency is offering a reward for any information leading to the cloak's recovery.

The Walking Dead

Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright says he was offered the opportunity to direct an episode in the second season, but apparently he's turned it down. He explained it in the most self-deprecating terms possible, although it was probably because schedules didn't work:

Frank [Darabont] asked me to do a Walking Dead, actually. But I feel that there's some subject matter that, like, even though it'd be great - and I love that show: I actually watched four of the six episodes uninterrupted in one run; it was like zombie Pringles - I think that with something like that, with some TV shows, you wanna be in on the ground floor. Well, I really enjoyed the first season, and I wouldn't wanna be the guy that comes in and fucks it up.

Game of Thrones

Series author George R.R. Martin says one of the things that most excites him about the series is the cast:

"When we started talking about this before it was even greenlit, Sean Bean was always our first choice for Eddard 'Ned' Stark and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. Those were the two characters that we knew we had to get [those actors], and we were delighted when we got both for the parts. Some of the other actors I hadn't heard of, but I've been watching their tapes and have seen some of their work and mostly have been blown away by the performances that I've seen. But one of the biggest triumphs is the three kids we got. Maisie Williams [as Arya Star], Sophie Turner [as Sansa Stark] and Isaac Hempstead-Wright [as Bran Stark] are just amazing talents. It was very hard, and we looked at hundreds of kids," the author says of the audition process. "The truth is that it's hard to find good kid actors. Mostly kids are used in sitcoms, which means they are good at being cute, but these are serious dramatic roles for children. They have to do grief and fear and capture three very distinct characters. We really lucked out, and Nina Gold, our casting director, deserves all kinds of credit for finding them, because these kids had hardly done anything before."

He also explains what he wanted to include in episode eight, which he is writing, but there was no way to afford everything he had in mind:

"Well, as usual I put in a montage that would have cost 10 times the budget of the entire episode. I wanted all the Lords Bannerman of the North assembling and going to eight different castles, with the Lords arming up and riding out. It read beautifully, but to produce it would have bankrupted them, so I knew writing it my poor montage would be done. I always write my first draft for me to be read, and then later I make the cuts for the more producible cut."

No Ordinary Family

Anyone who's still holding out hope for a second season might want to sit down, because yet another of the show's stars has signed on for a new TV pilot. This time, Julie Benz has signed on for a currently untitled CBS pilot. As with Michael Chiklis, Benz has the pilot in "second position" to No Ordinary Family, meaning she would stay with the show if it gets renewed. But yeah... the writing is pretty much on the wall. [Deadline]

The Event

Here's some more photos for next week's episode, "A Message Back." [Daemon's TV]

Sandman

In a turn of events that really shouldn't surprise anyone, Supernatural creator and prospective series showrunner Eric Kripke says the latest attempt to adapt Neil Gaiman's Sandman for television has fallen apart, at least for now:

"Unfortunately, for a lot of varying reasons, Sandman is not in the works, at least for this season."

Wonder Woman

R.E.M.

There's some casting news for NBC's Inception-style drama, in which Harry Potter's Jason Isaacs plays Detective Mark Britten, who has an accident and wakes up in 1973 finds himself living in two separate realities. That 70s Show actor and one-time obnoxious reality show star Wilmer Valderrama has been cast as his new partner, Detective Richard Vega. The series, created by Lone Star's Kyle Killen, has also cast SVU's B.D. Wong and Terriers's Laura Allen. [TV Line]

Being Human (US)

Here are some photos, a sneak peek, and a short synopsis for episode 9, "I Want You Back (From The Dead)." Here's the description: "Nora and Josh continue to grow closer; Sally tracks down Nicholas Fenn; Aidan checks in with Cindy." [Daemon's TV]

Yes, we do go into some flashbacks. We spend a good deal of time there. The colonial America thing was very brief and we end up spending more time in other time periods. We learn different things about the character and that his viewpoints weren't always as benevolent.

He also offered his take on Aidan's vampire nature:

I view him as a man battling addiction. That's my take on him and that's always the way I try to play him.

What about Bishop and the other vampires?
I look at those guys as my old drug buddies who I can't hang out with. I know Mark [Pellegrino] looks at Aidan as a wayward son. When you're working with metaphors, doesn't have to be entirely consistent to one metaphor. For example, the vampire thing we play is a cross between heroin addiction, or some other substance abuse, and sex addiction. There's a little bit of both in there. That's definitely always my aim.

He says a second season pick-up seems like a reasonable bet at this point, and that the final episodes will provide some unexpected twists for those familiar with the original series. [Poptimal]

Secret Circle

The upcoming CW pilot from Scream's Kevin Williamson about a coven of witches has picked up some genre cred with the reported casting of Sarah Connor Chronicles costar Thomas Dekker. He reportedly plays Adam, the love interest of the main character Cassies, and he's also the oldest member of the coven. [TV Line]

And here's a link to a not terribly flattering review of the pilot script, although the reviewer does point out that the series could overcome these flaws in much the same way its spiritual predecessor The Vampire Diaries did.

V

Here's a whopping eight promos to get you ready for the season - and, honestly, if there's any justice in this world, series - finale, "Mother's Day." Here we go... [The V-Files]